Everyone solves the problem of backing up the data in their own way: someone uses an external HDD-drive, others re-record everything important on CDS and DVDs, somebody prefers to have an “extra” internal hard drive, where they dump files and folders from time to time. However the problem of backup lies not in the place where you can create a copy of important data, but in the fact that you should not forget to do it. Every person has important files that are frequently modified and supplemented. These can be Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, files that store settings of different programs – from the disk cataloger database to user profiles of the browser. Such files are much more valuable than movies, videos, music, and other data that are downloaded from the Network and recorded to backup media. Recoding once downloaded film to a disc is simple enough. The daily creation of copies of constantly changing working file is quite troublesome, and only a few people are so organized that constantly remember the need for backup. In today’s review we will look at best free backup software for mac which eliminate the need to remember to constantly save copies of important data. Moreover, we will focus only on those of them which are top free backup software for mac.
Table of Contents
File Backup Watcher
File Backup Watcher free is a simplified version of a commercial utility that is released by the same company. There are not many possibilities in the free version, but these are enough for some people. The interface of the program is represented by three tabs on which you can draw a conclusion about its main functions – “Reservation”, “CD/DVD recorder” and ZIP. So, in addition to data backup, the program is able to record to optical media and work with ZIP-archives. However, all three main functions exist separately. In other words, you cannot configure the program to automatically compress copies of files and record them to disk.
You must create a profile for the program to back up. The step – by-step wizard will not allow you to get lost in the settings. First, you should select the profile name, then specify the folder from which you want to copy files. You can specify whether to include subdirectories. After that, select the folder where backups will be stored. File Backup Watcher free does not make it possible to back up to a CD/DVD or a network drive, so this folder can be located only on one of the local disks. There is no USB drive connected to the computer in the list of the devices. The last step of the wizard configures the task scheduler. You need to select the automatic method of copying in order to see its settings. The scheduler is made very conveniently: each month, day of week, number, hour and minute corresponds to each button. You can specify the time at which the files will be copied by clicking the buttons you want,.
Back2zip 125.
This mac free backup software is characterized by an incredibly fast installation (the whole process takes just a few seconds) and brisk character. Immediately after installation, Back2zip creates a new backup task, assuming the most important files you store in your “My documents“folder. In addition, the program creates MyBackup folder on disk F (if you do not have this, it may choose some other disc) and immediately begins to copy the contents of the “My documents” folder. The fact that Back2zip is actively working can be guessed from the animation icon in the tray. In short, the first thing you need to do after running the program is to delete the automatically created task. Back2zip is built on the principle of “nothing can be easier”. There are no familiar list of best free backup tools – all operations can be performed directly in the main window of the program. First of all, you should click on the Add Folder button to specify the folder, the contents of which you want to monitor (you can add it by simply dragging and dropping from the File Manager), then use the Select Folder button to select the folder in which copies will be saved. It can be located not only on the local disk, but also on the network. USB drives are also supported.
The developers of Disk Drill Backup software point out in the documentation that “there is no third step in configuring the program”. It is ready to work after the first two ones. Simplicity, however, has its downside. Firstly, there can be only one copy save folder, and if you change it, it changes all the tasks. Secondly, you cannot run a backup for one task only – all tasks run at once. Back2zip has a task scheduler where you can choose the interval of saving copies – from 20 minutes to 6 hours. In addition, you can limit the time of the program, for example, to allow it to make copies only at night.
Using The Time Machine.
Time Machine.
So, if you have OS x 10.5 or later installed on your Mac, the easiest way to back up your hard drive is to use the built-in time free backup software for mac- Machine utility, which automatically backs up your system and all important files on your external hard drive or network. System files, digital photos, music, movies, documentation, etc. – all this will remain with Time Machine intact. This utility allows you to really “go back in time” to recover files in their original form at the moment when you need it.
Setting up Time Machine won’t take you long. The utility dialog box appears as soon as the user connects the second drive to the Mac, and then you are politely asked if you want to use this tool for backup.
Your task is to answer “Yes” by clicking on the “Use as backup Disk” button. Basically, that’s all. If all of a sudden your hard drive works for a long time, you will be able not only to restore all the files, but also the full system configuration.
Backups are retained for the last 24 hours, a week, and a month until the disk is full. After you create the first backup, the backup software for macintosh will save only those files that have changed. If you have the files, the preservation of which is not obligatory, then you can set the program to exclude backing them up.
Use Disk Utility.
A great alternative to using Time Machine backup is to create a virtual disk image with all the contents of your Mac OS X using Disk Utility. Disk Utility has a number of unique features, such as permissions, the UUID (Universally Unique Identifier), and ACL (Access control List) access. Disk Utility can help you to back up to an external hard drive that has enough free space.
Disk Utility.
Back up to an external hard drive using Disk Utility
- Connect an external hard drive (FireWire or USB) with enough space to store your Macintosh HD backup;
- Start the installation of DVD;
- Select the language and select Disk Utility from the Utility menu;
- In the left pane, you should select the disk that you want to back up;
- Click the “Check the Disk” button if you want to fix any errors, and then click “Repair the Disk” button;
- Click the “New Image” button on the toolbar, give the name of the disk image, and specify when you want to create the copy and the name of the disk to be Note: Disk Utility allows you to create an encrypted disk backup to improve security. From the Encryption: in the pop – up menu, you should select 128-bit or 256-bit AES encoding. When prompted, you will be asked to enter a password for encryption.
- Click the “Save” button;
- Enter the administrator name and password when (and if) you want; about 1 GB min will be saved depending on various factors;
- After the copy process is complete, select the newly created disk image in The images> Scan Image for Restore device panel from the menu and allow full scanning.
- Close Disk Utility (by pressing Q) and the Mac OS x installer (by pressing Q again), restart the computer.